Justice Department withheld and removed some Epstein files related to Trump

An NPR investigation has revealed that the Justice Department has withheld and removed certain files from the public database related to sexual abuse accusations against President Trump, despite a law mandating their release. These missing documents include pages of FBI interviews and notes concerning a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse when she was a minor. NPR's review of document serial numbers and metadata indicates that dozens of pages cataloged by the Justice Department have not been made public. The Justice Department declined to comment on these specific files. Additionally, some files pertaining to another woman who was a key witness against Ghislaine Maxwell were temporarily removed and then partially restored, while others remain hidden. The White House stated that Trump has done more for Epstein's victims than anyone before him and that he has been exonerated. However, a letter from the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General insists that no records were withheld due to embarrassment or political sensitivity. Lawmakers from both parties have criticized the Justice Department's handling of the file releases, accusing them of violating the law and lacking transparency. One accuser alleged that around 1983, Epstein introduced her to Trump, who then forced her head down to his exposed penis, which she bit, and Trump subsequently punched and kicked her. This allegation appears in limited FBI documents, though the accuser was interviewed by the FBI four times, with only the first interview publicly available and not mentioning Trump. Another accuser stated that Epstein took her to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club to meet him, where Epstein remarked to Trump about her. This interview was initially removed from public files and later republished. The Justice Department claims files are temporarily removed only for additional review flagged by a victim or their counsel. The department has also been reuploading pages to fix improperly redacted victim names, which has drawn criticism from victims' attorneys regarding transparency and the handling of sensitive information.